UK government won’t intervene in Mastercard adult content censorship row

The UK government says it won’t intervene to make payment providers like Mastercard and Visa process transactions for adult content.

The financial companies came under fire in August after refusing to process payments for providers of adult online games, forcing a variety of websites, including PC gaming marketplaces Steam and Itch.io, to delist thousands of Not Safe For Work (NSFW) titles or else lose their main method of completing transactions.

Visa and Mastercard took the took the step after facing political pressure for the anti-pornography group Collective Shout, which called for all adult content to be delisted.

Itch.io was forced to ‘deindex’ thousands of NSFW games from its storefront as it grappled with the implications of the decision, while Steam deleted hundreds of games altogether.

Outraged members of the UK public, worried that the move could lead to mass censorship, urged the UK government to force Visa and Mastercard to reverse their decision and allow adults to purchase “otherwise legal content.”

Responding to the petition earlier this week, a government spokesperson said it has “no plans” to intervene, arguing that payment processors are “able to choose who they process payments for, subject to any relevant requirements.”

“Decisions regarding which businesses payment processors contract with are a commercial matter, taking into account the relevant requirements on the firm,” the statement continues. “These decisions will be influenced by a variety of factos, and the Government has no plans to intervene in those commercial decisions.”

The government said it recognises the “important role” that payment processing place in supporting what it called a “resilient, diverse and growing economy,” but said that businesses “have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs.”

It pointed to commitments published in the National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, which involved the “continued development of Open Banking” which it said allows consumers to “make purchases using a wider range of payment methods, including account-to-account payments.”

“HM Treasury is working closely with the financial services regulators to deliver these outcomes.”

Visa and Mastercard accused of ‘blatant hypocrisy’

Critics of Visa and Mastercard argue that the move amounts to “moral policing” and “blatant hypocrisy.”

One petition, which has over 250,000 signatures at the time of reporting, reads: “Adults are capable of choosing what they want to watch, read, or play. If someone doesn’t like a certain type of entertainment, the solution is simple: walk away.

“Nobody is forced to engage with content they find offensive, but they have no right to dictate what others are allowed to enjoy, especially when it’s within the bounds of the law.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) noted that Visa and Mastercard only targeted websites that host adult content, arguing that “all available evidence indicates that these problems proliferate across all kinds of sites.”

“In reality, all Mastercard’s policy actually does is make it harder for platforms to host adult content – destabilizing the websites that sex workers use to make a living … Sex workers’ livelihoods shouldn’t depend on the whims of corporations.”